Gathering of Hallowed Light
First Encounters "Haa, haa, haa." Liam began to pant as he landed on the ground, with one knee on the ground, he was completely on the open, with Raishun right next to him. Thankfully the mages that were on the chase had hurried off to find somebody else, and Liam took a few deep breaths. "Oh my! Raishun and Liam are in pain~" A voice cried out as a childish figure came out from the woods. As soon as Raishun saw him, his expression was mixed with both disgust and relief. Liam was also in a similar situation, and snarled, "Heh. You like that stuff, don't you, Daniel?" "Shut up." A masculine voice said as he came out of hiding. Ironically, despite the masculinity of the voice, his appearance was far from so. He had waist-length deep red hair, a strikingly feminine face, and a rather lean build. Some even compared his face to of all people! "Allen's ruining the fun again~?" The childish figure asked, and Allen stared at him in the eye. He retreated himself, and then approached Raishun and Liam. "You guys need some help. Here, sit still." Daniel told them, as he took a glove off. "Enhancement Bacteria." As soon as he chanted that, a strange material began to envelop Liam's body. Though he initially felt disgusted, it apparently helped to catalyze the body's healing factors, making Liam heal far quicker. Daniel soon did the same to Raishun, curing him of his injuries as well. "Come on, the lot of you. We have a...guest waiting for us back at the guild." Allen said, as he began walking off towards the guild, with the three mages following him as they muttered about one another behind each other's backs, almost literally. ---- "Come in, Richard Buchanan...no wait, Raven." A strangely alluring voice said. Immediately a woman of sharp, womanly features and extraordinary hair of vibrant colors had reached out to touch Raven's face. But Raven quickly evaded, and she was left disappointed. "Awww. Playing hard to get are we~? No matter~ Are you here Melo? Take the boy to the Master, alright~? I'll welcome Allen and the others~!" Raven turned to see a young man step forward from the shadowy corridor before them. It went without saying that the man could easily be mistaken for a woman, however, his eyes said nothing. Melo gave a nod to follow him and turned back to the corridor. Raven followed in suit. Aside from the dim lighting, and calling it just dim was pushing it, the place was shrouded in darkness. Shadows danced all over the ceiling as the faint lighting flickered in and out. "That was Blair, my partner of sorts, " Melo said slowly, not bothering to look back. "You could say among us are some unique people, take that as you will." Up ahead was a pair of oak double doors. They came to halt before them. "In here, you'll meet our master." Melo laid a hand on the door knob. As the door opened, like a cool rushing wind, the magical presence behind those two doors made itself known in an instant. Melo gestured Raven to go in. "If it isn't Raven? How do you do?" A chilling voice uttered from the end of the room. Immediately a flicker of light appeared and illuminated the entire area. It appeared as very regal, almost a mansion of sorts, yet with a touch of primitivity that made it easy to disguise as a common man's home. "I assume you are the Guild Master?" Raven questioned the man before him, doubting his intentions as soon as he heard his voice. "You pick up things faster than they lay on the ground. Good, I know I haven't made a wrong decision." The man said, almost ignoring Raven's question. As soon as his eyes laid on Raven's killing intent, the man smirked and responded accordingly, "I am Nicholas Avernicus. But please, call me Master Nick, if you so desire. And yes, I am indeed the Master of Fraus Lumen, the guild you have joined." "Fraus Lumen...huh?" Raven commented, almost as if he was laughing at the guild's name. But he made no intention whatsoever, a trait that caused Nicholas to peer at him even closer. He looked towards his faithful assistant, Victorio Heinze, and asked him, "What do you think, Heinze?" "Well, he ain't no wimp, " Victorio said with an eye on Richard's figure. "If he wasn't disturbed by Melo or Blair's auras, then he's the real deal...." He stopped for a moment as he stared at Raven's calm visage. "But..." Nicholas snapped his fingers. "Ah yes, that's right, " He said, smiling. "It goes without saying that money makes the world go round, don't you agree?" Raven narrowed his eyes at the man before him. A man who seemed more amused than anything else. "I don't follow, what is the relevance of that statement?" He asked slowly. "Ya have a job off the bat is what Master means, rookie, " Victorio said, cutting in. A devilish smile crossed his face, though Raven didn't bother to glance in his direction but kept his attention on the one he now called Master. "It's only inevitable." Melo arched an eyebrow, "Who is to accompany him or is this a solo job?" Nicholas pointed straight at Melo. "That would be you. It's an assassination, so it's only logical for you to partner up with him, " He said, turning back to their newest comrade. "The statement is relevant because the object of this mission is money along with killing the man that is the source of said funds." "And his name is?" Raven asked curtly. "His name is Giorgio Vertale, a rather rich and powerful man. But, a rather awful man too, " Nicholas replied. He gave a quick nod to Melo, earning a questionable look from Raven and Victorio. "He won't be missed when he's gone. Your job is to kill him and access the vault in his home. The greedy fool hordes his money where he can keep an eye on it at all times, which will be his undoing. Make it a clean kill." Raven didn't question his orders, not at all. However, he did ask a single question. "Where are his whereabouts?" Nicholas gave a rather menacing grin, as he folded his fingers together and responded, " . The rest of the details, you may ask Melo." He looked towards Raven, pondering and waiting for his reaction, knowing full well SENSHI had been affiliated with . "Yes, Master." Raven's emotionless response had given Nicholas the answer he wanted, and he loosened himself slightly. All the while, Raven had turned around and begun to move towards the exit of the guild, knowing Melo would follow suit. Terror Looms in the Night Lying on edge of the outskirts of Magnolia, partly shielded by a wooded area, stood a mansion. It was pearl white, a lovely sight. Darkness stretched over the horizon as nightfall had finally come. For most, it was a normal night of the work week— for most, that is. A lone figure descended upon a lofty tree branch, landing firmly but quietly. Through the trees he could see the home of their target. The beautiful white mansion before his eyes was the abode of Giorgio Vertale, a more than corrupt businessman that thought setting up his residence in a place like this, near the most powerful guild in Fiore, was ideal. It was the typical strategy of hiding in plain sight, any businessman would follow the same course of action. This wouldn't be necessary any longer when he and his new partner were through here. Melo narrowed his eyes as he caught movement in the lawn area. "It would seem the place is heavily guarded as expected, the fool thinks he's safe." The mission was simple: kill Vertale and clean out the vault in his home. Two simple objectives, but he knew this was less about gaining extra funds and more about testing this new rookie. He tapped the communication lacrima on his wrist. "Raven, are you in position? The mission is about to commence, remember your objectives," Melo whispered. "I'm in position. I shall commence immediately." Raven responded, whispering as he did so. He had positioned himself near an area filled with tall trees and shrubs that lied behind the house. He would have to take out every single guard without killing them. Silently, a shadow portal had materialized underneath him, and he entered the realm of the shadows. Encompassed by complete darkness, there was no sight except for the shadows of others. He could see the entire world surrounding him, and instinctively distinguished between the guards from Melo, and immediately began his plan of attack. He appeared before the first two guards, at the western end of the house. Their immediate reaction was to pull out their weapons, but before they could do so, Raven drifted past them, and used a single knife-hand towards their necks to incapacitate them. As they fell onto the ground, Raven moved back into the realm of shadows and leaped out at the south of the mansion, again causing the guards to fall onto the floor. Completing the circle, all the guards had been eliminated from outside the house. However; Raven was sure there were a few inside the mansion, and contacted Melo, "I have finished my task. Should I give you back-up inside the residence? Or should I watch out for others?" ---- Two guards stood on duty in a long corridor. The walls were lined with paintings, their golden frames almost glimmering from the moonlight piercing through the windows. At their hips were broadswords, both looked ready to pounce on any intruder. Suddenly, one of the guards grabbed his neck. He looked down to see a needle. "Uh, you, you..." He stammered, pointing at his comrade's neck. Both slammed to the ground seconds later. Footsteps echoed through the corridor. "No, I will be fine, try to focus on Vertale," Melo said, pushing a door open. "I'll clear out the security in the West Wing." He dashed down the empty hallway in a beeline. With the rookie handeling the main target, he could focus on the guards and more importantly the vault. Raven addressed his orders, and immediately snuck within the realm of shadows once again. He peered above, looking for a place to strike. He couldn't identify Vertale, but he understood that the guards that Melo had taken out were collapsed shadows. He pulled himself out of one shadow, and immediately discerned that the room next to the library was Vertale's. Yet there were guards, in almost every corner of the mansion. In fact, he was probably about to be encountered by security lachrima. So, he snuck back into the shadow realm, and reassessed his strategy. Before anything else, he'd need to take care of lachrima and communication. Thus, he reappeared within the security room in a matter of moments, dispatching of the two guards that were there almost effortlessly with a knife hand. Disabling the magic lachrima, Raven exited the room, and reappeared at the library, dispatching the guards there with exceptional ease using his knife-hand. However; there was another guard that was present. He appeared to be stronger, and more experienced than the other guards. As Raven turned around to notice him, the man had begun to move and attempted to slash him with his broadsword. The Black Blade once known as Vajra magically erupted between the guard and Raven. Within a split second, blades clashed, and Raven looked at the guard in the eyes. Darkness erupted from Raven's form, as it took hold of the guard and suffocated him before he collapsed. He began to walk out of the library, his next target...Giorgio Vertale. Screams ringed through the long corridor with the sounds of bodies hitting the floor. Melo shot forward towards a pair of guards, both reached into their jackets. "Too little, too late, " Melo muttered, as he flashed his hands forward. The men fell to the ground. Melo came to halt as he surveyed the hallway around him. Blood splatters decorated the walls like the work of an artist's brush. The moonlight lit up the hall through the grand windows, illuminating the scattered corpses. He had wanted to keep it clean, but there were more guards than expected. The margin of error had been pushed, his entire initial prediction was off. He looked towards a pair of double doors, with light shimmering from under the bottom crack, it seemed to lead to a more open area. It didn't take a Wizard Saint to sense the numerous "staff members" awaiting him on the other side of the door. They had come in droves, they had come to protect something. The question of the exact location of vault was no longer such, Melo stepped forward slowly towards the door. "Seems it is time to play my part, Vertale dead and millions of jewels for the guild, " Melo pondered. Needles poked between his fingers in both hands. Suddenly, he smashed one of the doors open with swift, front kick. Before him was a sight that did not faze the Fraus Lumen mage. Scattered in a fan like formation was a wave of "security", if anything, they were just well dressed thugs looking for a quick buck in Melo's opinion. Some were armed and others bare handed. Melo's eyes shifted side to side as he took in the situation, there seemed to be no mages among them. "This won't take long, " Melo said softly to himself. CRACK. He cracked his neck, side by side, his eyes still set on the sight before him. Melo's eyes said nothing as he felt nothing. This was no trap, he figured they were arrogant to a fault and had no understanding of how to handle a mage. Go figure. The room was silent as he continued to crack his neck, earning some questionable glances from Vertale's men. Some looked disgusted, others of a very different opinion. In that moment, footsteps caught Melo's ear. A man stepped from the crowd. He was clad in a black suit like the others. Facial hair a long, ragged scar down his right eye gave him what many would label as foreboding. Melo was not of that group. "Oi! You bastard, killing off my men like some arrogant little shit," the man shouted, jabbing a finger in Melo's direction. One of his eyes twitched from pure rage. "I hope you know you won't be leaving alive tonight. But, you won't get a slow death. Nope." A low laughed began to creep out from his surrounding comrades. Like a pack of wolves, violence was their reverie. "Na uh," He said, waving his finger tauntingly. His gold tooth glimmered for but a moment under the fluorescent lighting above them. "We'll take it nice and slow, you'll learn pain. You'd be amazed what things you can do to a human without even killing them. Mr. Vertale wouldn't want it any other way. Right, boys?" The men behind him hooted and hollered like baboons. "And people call us devils, " Melo closed his eyes. It was logical to think Richard was near Vertale. Hopefully he could pull out a clean kill, things had turned out differently than intended. Raven traversed through the shadow realm, and as he appeared in Vertale's room, he noticed a peculiar sight just before entering. There was a guard with magical power in the room. He must have been hired to protect him, and Raven knew there was no way out of this but a fight. He hid behind a large closet, and began to materialize magical power in the form of darkness. It erupted from the mage's shadow, suffocated him and killed him instantly. Raven then appeared in the center of Vertale's room, and noticed Vertale brandishing a pistol. Raven cut through the bullets in an instant, and cleanly made a karate chop to his neck, killing him there and then. He took up his communication lachrima and told Melo, "Vertale is dead. I'll retrieve the funds and meet you in the forest." As soon as he said so, Raven took the funds from the safe in a large bag, before descending through Shadow Transmigration and appearing in the forest outside of the home, waiting for Melo's arrival. ---- The sound of shattering glass echoed in the night as Melo hopped through window, landing firmly on what looked like a veranda. The night air was cool against his deathly pale skin. He sighed, things had gone decently. Though, he knew Vertale's associates would have quite a mess to clean up tomorrow. "Right," He muttered to himself, surveying the surrounding forest. It was high time to leave. "Ah, there he is," Melo shot off the roof of the veranda into the open lawn. Raven had been quicker than expected. He moved through the shadowy trees to come upon his companion. A brown sack was hanging from hand. Melo stepped towards him, eyeing the bag. "I trust Vertale is in the next life?" He asked. "As I told you, he has been eliminated." Raven responded to Melo's question, moving from his position and onto his next destination, the guild's base. "I believe it is time to leave." Category:Zicoihno Category:Tales of a New Generation